He had a migraine. It felt like these days, he always had a migraine. Draco would have to whip up some sort of potion to get rid of it because he found that it was making him rather irritable.
It felt like every one of Blaise's footsteps pounded into his head. Step. Thud. Step. Thud. Step. Thud. Did the boy have to walk so bloody loud?
"Pans says she wants me to spend the holidays with her family but I might off myself if I spend even one minute more with her brother than is required," he said as the two made their way to the corridor off the main hall. Draco had been spending a lot of time with Blaise lately much to his chagrin. They were good friends, sure, but... Blaise didn't have long black hair, striking green eyes, and a body he wanted to be buried in. If he could, he would have spent every single second with her, kissing her, loving her, fingering her...
He fisted and unfisted his fingers to remind himself of what he'd be doing later. The same thing just in a very different spot.
Not that she'd let him be with her all day anyway. Whenever he asked her to be with him instead of with Aria, she looked at him with an expression that could only be described as an infuriated kitten threatening to pounce without any sort of claws to do damage. But he liked that about her, the way she was fiercely loyal to her friends, the way she looked at him like she might murder him with only bubbles as a weapon.
He smiled as he thought of her. Draco always smiled when he thought of her.
So unfortunately, instead of making out with his girlfriend and making her scream, he was with Blaise's sorry ass. The two had a mutual agreement not to speak about Astoria. Blaise wasn't dimwitted; he knew something was going on. Draco wouldn't confirm or deny any allegations. He couldn't afford to confirm them but to deny them felt like an act of disrespect against Astoria. A smart man would shout from the rooftops—print it in the bloody Daily Prophet—that he was with her. And Draco was a smart man. He would formally make her his—with a ring on her finger and probably a few hickeys on her neck. It would just take time.
"I mean, her brother is bloody awful," Blaise continued but Draco tried to ignore it for all their sakes. The migraine wasn't getting any better. He could be rather nasty when he had them. The headache was brought on by a lot of things: a lack of sleep last night because he was too busy ravishing Astoria, a lack of food because Theodore's munching ass ate almost everything at breakfast, a lack of patience from having to listen to Mattheo and Enzo yap about Quidditch, and now just a lack of desire to be anywhere but his bed with his girlfriend underneath him.
But he had something to do first.
"The bloke just doesn't know what to shut up—"
"Sounds like someone I know," Draco grumbled, rubbing the side of his head. He took great care not to mess up his hair. Lately, he had been caring a lot more about his appearance than before. Most of his friends assumed that it was because of his engagement to Daphne. That would make the most sense, after all, but really it was because he was dating a girl who would definitely rip one into him if he looked like a mess. And he would let her. She was already way out of his league; he didn't need to increase the distance anymore by dressing improper.
"He just drones on and on and on and on and—"
"Zabini!" Draco hissed while massaging his temples. "If you don't stop droning on and on like the Parkinson boy, I'll hex your balls so badly even Madam Pomfrey won't be able to mend them."
He let out a deep breath. Calm yourself. But even his thoughts were obscured by pain. "Sorry," he muttered, closing his eyes for a brief moment. "My head is killing me."
Blaise didn't seem to mind his friend's outburst. Actually, he looked almost amused by it. Draco was known for his wicked temper and snarky retorts, though he had been decidedly more docile the past few months. If anything, Blaise probably figured one was long overdue.
"No worries, mate. Let's just take care of Creevey and get you to bed, yeah?"
Ah, yes. Dennis Creevey, the sixth-year Gryffindor mudb—muggle-born who was the only reason Draco wasn't sleeping off his raging headache in his bed. He and Draco had struck up a bargain weeks ago. Dennis would give him information in exchange for Draco giving him information, both about wildly different things. Draco didn't love making deals with... Gryffindors but it needed to be done. Plus, Dennis actually hasn't been that bad. Draco hadn't really minded speaking to him anymore. Well, except for now. His migraine continued to thud even as they made their way to the meeting spot.
Dennis was standing by one of the pillars of fire in the main corridor. He looked nervous. He always looked nervous. Draco was well-known throughout Gryffindor house and not for good reason. While he tried to be better for Astoria, he couldn't escape years of a nasty reputation. Still, he tried. He was civil to muggle-borns, no longer calling them mudbloods and looking at them with a newfound sense of respect after Astoria had revealed that muggles saved her life before she was formally diagnosed. He was respectful to the Gryffindors he knew. Except for Potter, bloody Saint Potter. Draco still couldn't stand him but he didn't go out of his way to be mean to him anymore. Rumors surrounded him to no avail but they were just that: rumors. Crabbe and Goyle were the ones taking Lovegood's shoes—which is why Draco often avoided the imbeciles if he could help it—and he had stopped being mean to first-years over a year ago. The people who were important to him knew he wasn't as bad of a bloke anymore and that was enough for him.
"H-hi, D-Draco," Dennis stuttered. His dark-blonde hair was clammy and stuck to his forehead with sweat.
"Hello, Creevey," he said with a sigh. He really didn't want to be there and he was a little tired of Dennis always being terrified of him no matter how much time he spent with the boy. "Did you finally get what I wanted?"
"W-well, y-yes, I finally got the records and the letter from my parents, but..."
"But what?" he growled with annoyance. His migraine just kept getting worse and worse, which ground his patience down to a fine nub.
"But I don't know if I should tell y-you. There's patient c-confidentiality..."
Draco took a step towards Dennis and cornered him against the wall. He was so bloody annoyed—by his insane headache, by Dennis's skirting around the answer, by the fact that his lips were doing anything other than kissing Astoria—that all he could feel was angry. "Now listen here, Creevey," he growled. "We had a deal. Hold up your end of the bargain or I will be forced to no longer hold up mine. Got it?"
The boy's eyes widened and Draco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for temporary relief. "Sorry, sorry," he muttered. "I have a raging headache and didn't mean to take it out on you."
Dennis looked at him oddly as if he couldn't believe that someone like Draco Malfoy would actually get a headache. And, weirdly, his shoulders dropped. His body became less tense and his stutter almost disappeared. It would seem that a momentary lapse in judgment brought on by an insatiable pain and the snap of a temper actually made him less fearful. Whatever works, Draco thought with a shrug.
The boy reached into his robes and pulled out a file completely filled with papers. "That should have everything you need to know. Her medical history—both at St. Mungo's and at Great Ormund Street Hospital in London—plus the treatments they've taken and more about arrhythmia in general."
Draco stared at the stack of pages with wide eyes, flipping through it all quickly. "And what did your mother say? Any recommendations?"
He nodded. Dennis's father was a milkman but his mother was a muggle physician. Draco came to Dennis as soon as he learned there was a muggle-born that might be able to help him learn how to better care for Astoria. He didn't go to Colin—that boy was too far up Potter's ass to be of any use—and as luck would have it, Dennis had a crush on a certain Slytherin a year younger than Draco. He was lucky the girl didn't believe in blood purity and was in Slytherin based on her ambition alone. The deal was simple: Dennis would use his mother to get Astoria's medical history and more information on how to treat her condition in exchange for Draco subtly helping Dennis woo Lymara, the girl he sought.
"She said that Astoria should be well hydrated and have a diet high in sodium, eating crackers or something of the sort if she feels a bit peaky. If she's feeling any palpitations or pain, she should lie down with a cold washcloth on her head. And if she's feeling drowsy or worn out, a bit of sugar might help. The medication will make her episodes far less likely to happen but it doesn't mean that they won't happen at all. Ultimately, she needs to reduce stress, drink a lot of water, and keep some sweets and crackers on hand in case she starts to not feel well. It shouldn't shorten her lifespan or anything like that. She just needs monitored and a little extra care at times."
As he spoke, Dennis tapped his fingers as if he was listing everything he said. Draco made sure to nod and pay very good attention. This information could very well save Astoria's life one day, which is why he also brought Blaise with him to make sure that nothing was missed.
He smiled a bit to himself. No one could take better care of Astoria, he was positive of it. He had done everything in his power to learn not only about her—her likes, her dislikes, her dreams, even her mannerisms)—but also her condition and ways he could best take care of her.
Because Astoria was his and he would be damned if he didn't spend every second of the rest of his life proving why he deserved the spot next to her side.
"Thanks, Creevey," Draco said. "Lymara said that she'll be spending the evening in the library. She likes to read muggle historical books. Perhaps that'll help, yeah?"
Dennis's eyes lit up and Draco chuckled to himself. He recognized that look, the look of pure infatuation. He wore it on his own face most of the time. "Thanks, Draco!" Dennis said with a large smile.
"Don't mention it. Have a good one." Because he certainly would be having a good one if he had any say about it.
Draco walked back to his dorm room with his head held a little higher, the pain dimming the more he thought about holding her in his arms later. He loved her, he truly loved her. Astoria. His Astoria. His sweet girl with a heart of gold and a smile that lit up his day.
If only he knew he wouldn't be seeing that smile later that night. Perhaps he wouldn't have held his head as high.
Okay guys, what do you think? I'm going to be completely honest with you: I started A Court of Wings and Ruin (first-time reader of that series so don't spoil it pls) and I'm already like 150 pages in and kind of want to finish it this weekend so no promises on updates but also the next chapter might be kinda short so maybe I can fit it in on a reading break!
Also I am once again asking you to please check out Darkness and Devotion because I just think it is sooooo good so far. But you'll have to let me know what you think in the reviews!